M5 driver arrested for attempted murder after two collisions near Bristol

A motorist was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following two crashes on the M5 northbound near Almondsbury Interchange, forcing closure of the M5 and M4.

M5 driver held on attempted murder suspicion after Almondsbury Interchange crashes

A motorist has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving while unfit through drink or drugs after two separate collisions on the M5 northbound near Bristol, the Daily Express reports.

Avon and Somerset Police were called at just after 9pm on Wednesday 2 September to the Almondsbury Interchange, where a car had struck the central reservation. The driver then exited his vehicle and was involved in a second collision with two further cars travelling on the M4 carriageway.

"The initial report was of a car which had collided with the central reservation of the carriageway," a police spokesperson said. "The driver of the car then got out of his vehicle and was involved in a further collision involving two other vehicles travelling on the M4 carriageway."

Both the driver and a passenger from the initial vehicle were taken to hospital. The passenger has since been discharged. The driver, who remains under police supervision in hospital, is not believed to have life-threatening injuries, though police described them as potentially life-changing.

National Highways confirmed that, as a direct result of the incident, traffic was unable to join the M4 westbound from either direction. Witnesses reported stranded motorists stepping out of their vehicles on the motorway while traffic was at a complete standstill.

Both carriageways were closed while emergency services attended the scene. They reopened at 10.30pm the same evening.

The drivers of the other vehicles involved are assisting police with their enquiries and are being treated as witnesses.

Avon and Somerset Police have asked anyone with information or who witnessed the collision or its immediate aftermath to call 101, quoting reference 5226252893.

Source: Daily Express